98 NATURE AND WOODCRAFT. 



first among the falconer's favourites, with all 

 its ease and grace and majesty of wing — the 

 Merlin might be let live ; it does but little harm, 

 feeding principally upon larks and pipits. Some- 

 times in autumn this roving arab of the air 

 destroys a few young grouse ; but then by so 

 doing it confers a boon on the sportsman. These 

 are weak and ailing birds — the ones, probably, 

 in which are the germs of disease — and the moor 

 is best rid of them. The Buzzard occasionally 

 performs the same office ; though, seeing that as 

 many as sixty mice have been taken from the 

 crop of a single bird, there is no justification 

 for its destruction. 



In spring the garrulous blue Jays make free 

 right and warren of the peas sown in the old 

 man's vegetable garden ; as well as the beans 

 which are grown in a clearing for the phea- 

 sants; and seeing that he sucks the eggs of 

 other birds, it is little wonder that the Keeper's 

 hand is against him. In addition to all this, 

 the Jay does indirect harm, which greatly 

 multiplies the cunning engines devised for his 

 destruction ; for by pilfering the crops before 

 mentioned, which are planted with the object 

 of keeping wandering pheasants on the land, 



